Anti-militancy drives
A policy
of appeasement simply does not work while dealing with these forces of darkness which wants to take
the country to the
depth of medieval abyss
The Islamic extremists in Bangladesh were dealt a severe blow on Saturday as law enforcers swooped on their four hideouts in different parts of the country and eliminated 11 of these alleged criminals. Among them were key leaders of extremist outfits who are hell-bent on committing murder and mayhem to achieve their nefarious goals. By preaching a distorted version of religion these forces of bigotry and obscurantism are a cancer to the society. And the government deserves plaudits for showing its resolve in fighting them with the only language they seem to understand.
The attacks were carried out with a decisiveness and clinical efficiency that has been a hallmark of the professionalism, bravery and capability of the law enforcement personnel in all the operations since the dastardly Holey Artisan incident. Before Saturday as many as 15 alleged fundamentalists were eliminated.
Examples in other countries show that a policy of appeasement simply does not work while dealing with these forces of darkness that want to take the country to the depth of medieval abyss. Fundamentalists are against everything this country stands for and for the establishment of which millions gave their lives. They do not deserve compassion and empathy. Those who kill unarmed innocents must not be given any leeway. This is a secular republic and secularism must be protected at any cost. Bangladeshis of all religions, throughout history have repeatedly shown that while most of them are pious and God fearing they are not willing to tolerate any force of extremism. They know that fundamentalism is fascistic in the precise, technical sense of the word. Here there is a consensus on non-communal democracy and not giving communalism any leeway. Also there is the fact that religious extremists are politically tainted owing to their association with the 1971 genocide.
The government has strong secular and democratic credentials and they have displayed that zealotry will not be allowed to flourish on Bangladesh soil. The present regime has reverted the country to a secular constitution and firmed up secular provisions. It has brought the perpetrators of the series of murders in 1975 that ended democracy in the country to trial. And they have claimed repeatedly that they will not tolerate extremism.
However there is no room for complacency. The operations against extremist elements must continue until their back is broken. To ensure the safety of citizens and to protect the core values of the republic constant vigilance isessential.
